Illinois, a state mired in debt and tortured by one of, if not the worst teachers unions in the nation, has finally done something to help children stuck in failing schools, if even just a little:
It took several hours, three roll-call votes and no shortage of drama, but the Illinois House on Monday passed a “compromise” school funding bill — setting the stage for state government to overhaul the way it bankrolls public education.
The compromise is thought to be a historic step forward for public school funding statewide. It was reached after weeks of negotiations — and was struck as a way to get both Republicans and [Gov. Bruce] Rauner on board.
The House failed to pass the compromise measure on the first try — only 14 Democrats voted for it — but that was a largely ceremonial act orchestrated by Democrats to show their disdain of one of the bill’s most controversial aspects: a $75 million private school scholarship and tax-credit program that teachers unions oppose.
Despite the Democrats’ “disdain,” Illinois families will now have a tiny taste of choice, and something tells me that little taste will incite disdain for the people who didn’t want them to have it.
SOURCE: Chicago Sun Times
IN THIS ISSUE:
School Choice Roundup
- SUCCESS: Kids who enroll in Success Academy charter schools tend to have higher math scores, a new report shows.
- WISCONSIN: Wisconsin’s new budget will expand school choice statewide.
- CHARTERS: New York City charter schools get a lot less money than traditional public schools.
- CYBER SCHOOLS: Disgruntled Pennsylvania parents are turning to cyber schools to meet their children’s needs.
Common Core and Curriculum Watch
- POLICE TORTURE: “Police torture” is now part of the curriculum in Chicago Public Schools.
- ARABIC: A foundation from Qatar is paying to have Arabic taught in U.S. classrooms.
Education Today
- TEACHER SHORTAGE: The National Center on Teacher Quality wants to set the record straight on the “teacher shortage” narrative.
- WORLD EDUCATION: People around the world have different ideas about the purpose of education, a Pew Research poll finds.
- START TIMES: Sending kids to school later in the day could be better for the economy, says a new study.
- TEACHERS UNION: A new rule means the teachers union, not the school district, in Allentown, Pennsylvania will pay the union president’s salary.
Teresa Mull is a policy advisor for education and an editor at The Heartland Institute.
